Nay
Nay studied electrical and computer engineering at the American University of Beirut before securing an internship at Strategy& in 2010. Following that, she lived in London and San Francisco while studying for her MBA at the London Business School and Haas School of Business at Berkeley. Today, Nay is a partner with the culture and entertainment team. Her key achievements include developing sectoral strategies in the culture and entertainment space, cultural partnerships strategies, as well as arts and culture asset strategies including the first new media art center in the region.
Nay has a number of personal interests including acting and contemporary ballet, which she taught before joining Strategy&.
Q: What is it like to be a woman working in consulting in the Middle East?
A: It can be challenging depending on your client. I have been lucky with my projects; I have felt appreciated, empowered, and been given the same opportunities as my male colleagues.
Q: What keeps you driven at Strategy&?
A: The nature of the work, the learning opportunities, and certainly the people I work with.
Q: On a more personal note, your family has recently welcomed a baby boy into the world! How did you feel about coming back to work after having a baby?
A: Being a new mum has been an overwhelming and rewarding experience at the same time, but when my maternity leave ended, I wasn’t entirely ready to come back to work. Strategy& was extremely understanding and suggested I take a flexible leave of absence, which was of huge help as it allowed me to settle into my new role.
Q: How was your reintroduction period like? What helped you the most during that phase?
A: Coming back to work was definitely a challenge, but three main factors facilitated this transition. The first was having a great support system at home: a husband who is fully supportive of my career and an amazing nanny with whom I can trust my baby. The second was having a supportive team who could adjust to my new working norms and the third was being able to select projects that were aligned with what I needed at the time.
Q: What advice would you give to future mothers at the firm?
A: While the firm is very supportive, we are making change every day and we are setting the path for the other women who will be in our shoes later. Change starts from each one of us, and it is our responsibility to set the boundaries and push on enforcing them.
“Coming back to work after my maternity leave was definitely a challenge, but three main factors facilitated this transition.”
"The first was having a great support system at home: a husband who is fully supportive of my career and an amazing nanny with whom I can trust my baby. The second was having a supportive team who could adjust to my new working norms and the third was being able to select projects that were aligned with what I needed at the time.”
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